Of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Sunflowers
by StayWithTea
Summary: The story of three sisters, how they came to become a part of the Jellicle tribe and how they formed an uneasy bond with the infamous glamour cat. Starts pre-musical and rated because I'm a cautious bunny c:
1. Chapter 1

**Of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Sunflowers**

His evening was different for two reasons. Firstly, he'd usually board the Midnight Rail alone. This evening, the Jellicle leader's younger wife and Mother of the novice Jellicle protector had sidled up to him and asked sincerely that she come with him.

"Skimble, I haven't _seen_ anything. I need to know I'm not missing out on anything by being here," whispered the infamous glamour cat of the junkyard, she sensed his hesitance and quickly tried to win him over, "I love my husband, I love my sons, I love the tribe but look at me, how many chances am I going to be given in life? I need to see what's out there. Please, Skimble."

So he'd agreed and with both of their spouse's blessings, they met at the gate of the yard at ten and walked together amiably to the station. He hadn't seen her for the majority of the evening but as the train was making it's return to the station, he'd simply gone to see how she'd like the trip. Grizabella was enchanted by the people who had boarded, the landscapes they'd passed and the friendly conductor who had given her a saucer of milk. She'd run over to him and embraced him, whispering that she was so grateful he'd let her come, that she'd never been so happy.

And then the second thing happened. He'd heard a cry. It wasn't a human child that had somehow gotten stuck on the train, it was the kind of cry he had become so accustomed to as the tribe got larger and larger. His ears perked and he blinked at his companion who simple stared at him blankly, her lips upturned in a confused smile.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Skimbleshanks trusted his senses, it was how he kept everything so orderly and he knew he'd heard a cry, so naturally he went to investigate. The young queen that had accompanied him with his travels that night could only turn on her heel and follow him as he ran down each carriage, his ears leading him to an empty carriage with the door slightly open. Grizabella had caught on by now, her maternal instincts kicking in as she made her footsteps quiet and she motioned to Skimbleshanks to check underneath the seat.

The cry had turned into more of a whimper and it was encased in a chorus of shaky breaths and a few absent sobs. Skimbleshanks sunk and ducked his head to peer at the source of the crying. Huddled under the seat was three young queens.

The eldest only looked about sixteen with two smaller girls cradled close to her, there was a smaller girl but of the same age curled by her red back and pressed her face into the nape of the taller girl's neck and then a baby who must have only just opened her eyes tucked by her white chest. Skimbleshanks felt a lump rise in his throat as the red queen looked up at him and immediately rose to take a protective stance, holding the baby to her chest and shielding the other queen behind her.

Grizabella tutted, her eyes were bleary as she made her way closer and leaned past Skimbleshanks to hold her hand out to the red queen.

"Oh, the darlings," she whispered, "Where's your mother, sweetling?"

The red queen didn't ease out of her defensive pose, "Gone. What do you want?"

"To help you," Grizabella replied, a small smile on her sweet face, "Skimbleshanks here heard the little one cry. What are your names?"

The kit tucked behind the eldest's legs peaked out to look at the strangers, her fur was blonde but it stood out and shone like gold against black markings. She was more trusting than the older queen, as sweet girls usually are, and Grizabella immediately felt the urge to sweep her up and take her home.

"My name's Demeter," she said, her eyes wide and blinking, "She's Bombalurina and she's holding Jemima."

"Such pretty names," Grizabella said to the younger girl, she saw the elder girl relax slightly but her face was still steely and fiercely protective, perhaps if her body was stronger she'd have been stuck in the protective stance that she'd taken when the two strangers had first approached.

They were lean and malnourished, their fur was lank and thin and their eyes were sunken into their skull which created tired looking shadows around them. The baby made wincing noises with every heavy breath and it served as a reminder to how fragile she was. They needed a good meal, some water and a loving Mother and Grizabella knew that she wanted to give them all of those necessities.

"When this train stops, would you like to go get something to eat? Somewhere to stay?" Demeter started to paw at Bombalurina's leg, her excitement evident in her smile and her fast whispers. Bombalurina kept her eyes on Grizabella uncertainly before Skimbleshanks put his hand out and smiled at her gently.

"Come on, love. Let us look after you, eh?"

The scarlet queen blinked at him and her eyes filled up with tears, "They're so little," she whispered and put a hand on Demeter's head and pulled Jemima closer to her chest.

"I know, but they'll be okay," he whispered, not knowing whether or not he was trying to convince himself or the teen girl in front of him.

"How do you know?" she said, her voice harder and a tear trickling down her cheek, "How can you possibly know that?"

Skimbleshanks paused, startled by the harshness of her words but he quickly regained composure and took a step closer, when she didn't hiss or flinch away he took it as a sign that was the young girl was open to being convinced.

"I don't," he replied and saw her shoulder sag, "But they'll have a much better chance if you come with us."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Skimbleshanks and Grizabella returned to the tribe that night with the new arrivals, the eldest cats sprung to attention and watched as Grizabella promised to raise the eldest two as her own children and Jennyanydots came forward and said that she could nurse the youngest since she had only just had another baby and still had milk available. Bombalurina had screamed when they tried to separate them, so for the night she remained with Jemima and Jennyandots as Demeter slept with Grizabella.

Life moved onwards from there. The next day Bombalurina and Demeter were introduced to Grizabella's sons who had all been perfect gentlemen. They were a good year older than the newcomers but they treated the two as if they were the same age as them. The eldest of the litter of toms, Macavity, spoke with Bombalurina and nodding somberly throughout her recount of her ordeal while Tugger and Munkustrap played with Demeter, teasing her when she couldn't keep up with them.

Jemima stayed with Jennyanydots, drinking the milk she'd been deprived of for God knows how long. When Bombalurina was asked about what the kitten had been eating, she said that she chewed meet and mouth-fed her but the small baby suckled at the Gumbie cat willingly. Jennyanydots' youngest kitten, Electra, had been indignant at first but after being teased by her elder brother and sister that she was still a baby she wholeheartedly weaned herself from her Mother's milk and let Jennyanydots nurse the new baby.

Soon enough, it had been a year and Bombalurina was sat atop of the old car and watching as Demeter played boisterously with Munkustrap and Alonzo, throwing her head back and giggling as they tumbled together, scaring the much younger Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer who were parading their sister Electra and trying to get her used to the junkyard. She had come to know and love each of the Jellicle cats, they were comfortable and caring and kind, everything Bombalurina had longed for when she acted as a makeshift Mother for her younger sisters. She liked that the adults didn't treat her like a child and trusted her to look after the very young kittens, she liked that the elder kittens and adolescents accepted Demeter straight away and made it so easy for her to adjust

She felt a soft pressure rub up against her and turned to face Grizabella, her adopted Mother.

"Someone's looking pensive," she cooed as she started to groom the teenager's head fur, "What's troubling you, my sweet?"

"Will Jemima be able to come out soon?" she said, cutting straight to the point, "Jellyorum's kittens are only a few months older than her and they're already tumbling about, Jenny can't be so concerned about her getting hurt because.. Well, Electra's out and about and she's trusting those two goofs to look after her. So why can't Jemima come out?"

Grizabella stopped and looked down at Bombalurina, whom she'd come to love as much as her own children. The three sisters had recovered well, after a few months of good nutrition and shelter they'd come on leaps and bounds. Bombalurina started to look like a stunning young lady, Demeter was not so far behind her and Jemima's fragile body wasn't so fragile any more. However, everyone was aware of their background and knew not to handle them carelessly in fear they'd somehow revert back to their former state.

"Has she not been letting you see her?" Grizabella asked, her brow furrowed and her body tensing. Jennyanydots had gotten very attached to Jemima and Skimbleshanks had confessed to Grizabella almost a week previously that the small kit had called him 'Daddy.' She didn't know how she could take Jemima from them now even though she knew that Bombalurina was anxiously awaiting her reunion with her youngest sister, so said youngest sister had been a prickly subject lately, one that she liked to avoid because she felt awful with both solutions.

"No," Bombalurina said, shaking her head, "No, Jenny lets me see her all the time but I feel bad. She's such a clever girl but she's being locked away all the time, I know she'd like to be out here, playing with the other kittens."

Grizabella chuckled as Demeter pinned Munkustrap who wriggled beneath her whining and giggling at the same time, "Perhaps it's a good thing she's not playing with the other kittens. Our Demeter's a warrior, she'd crush her."

Bombalurina laughed lightly but shrugged, "I mean like, with the littler ones, like Victoria or Etcetera."

"Your sister wasn't brought up like Victoria or Etcetera or any of the other kittens," the older queen mumbled and rubbed up against her adopted daughter, "My sweet, we still need to be careful, we need to limit any kind of long-term effects that she may have carried on from when she was a newborn. But she'll be out soon, and you'll wish that she'd stayed locked up because I can see her being a little terror like Demeter."

Bombalurina nodded with a small smile. Shortly after following Skimbleshanks and Grizabella to the Jellicle tribe, she decided it was the best thing that happened to her. Her first Jellicle ball was around the corner, she'd become quick friends with some other queens her age such as Cassandra and Grizabella's sons played the effortless big brothers to both Bombalurina and Demeter. It all fitted, it was all perfect.

She barely had nightmares of her time without her Mother now. She didn't even bother to think about her Mother because Grizabella was everything her Mother wasn't. She was warm, she sang to them when they were sad or frightened and held them close before saying goodnight. Bombalurina remembered her own Mother as a desperate queen, falling in and out of love with a stream of toms and when she'd finally had enough, she had made sure to wait until Jemima could at least open her eyes before she left and Bombalurina was at least grateful for that but she left so soon and while her children slept. Bombalurina only woke to watch her go because Jemima cried for a feed.

Grizabella kissed the top of her head before stretching, "I'll be seeing you for dinner, make sure your sister doesn't damage my son too much."

"I'll try," she answered, giving her new Mother a small smile, "But if you don't mind me saying, Munkustrap's a wimp and could probably do with a good duffing up now and then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Sunflowers**

"You're funny, Mac," Demeter said, clutching her sides as Macavity imitated his brother whom had taken to preening and parading around the queens now that his mane had really kicked in. Macavity smiled at her, he'd always wanted a sister and hated being from a litter of all boys, especially since he was the eldest and expected to take care of his brothers. Demeter was sweet, carefree and a breath of fresh air for him. Before the sisters entered the junkyard there were barely any queens his age and, if Macavity was being honest with himself, he loved female companionship and valued it far more than male relationships. He hated tumbling and showing off with the other toms, he loved the bite and dry wit of women and had been very much deprived of it before Demeter and Bombalurina. The only queens in the junkyard that were his age before them were Tantomile who was practically connected to her brother at the hip and Exotica and Cassandra who both never showed any interest in Macavity.

He sat down next to Demeter and felt her instantly straighten up. That was another thing he liked about her; she was obviously interested in him. She was young but old enough to start thinking of toms in a romantic way and she definitely thought of Macavity in that light. She blinked up at him, her naïve green eyes sparkling as her pupils dilated as she looked over his face.

"Bombalurina really likes Tugger," she said, "I don't see why, he's fun but he's nothing special and Bombalurina's very special, isn't she?"

"I suppose so," he replied with an amused smile, Demeter was always singing her sister's praises and it was adorable.

"You suppose so? Come on Mac, you know she's gorgeous! I bet you're actually dead jealous of your brother," he began to chuckle, "What? Don't laugh at me just to hide your denial! I'm on to you, Macavity."

She was teasing him, he knew because she waited for him to reply, to snap at the bait so she could carry on making fun of him. He rolled his eyes at her but over-exaggerated it so she knew he was joking with her and she nudged his shoulder slightly whilst making an indignant noise.

"So, is Bombalurina older than you?" he asked, watching her petite frame as she stretched out and lay on her stomach, staring up at him by balancing her head on her paws.

"We're from the same litter but my Mum said that Bombalurina was the oldest in the litter and I was the youngest. We're the only ones left from said litter, so I count Bombalurina as my older sister, because technically I'm not wrong."

"What happened to the rest?" he inquired before hastily adding, "If you don't mind me asking."

"We're winter kittens and born on the streets, Mum didn't have sufficient resources to keep all her kittens warm and safe but I know she must have tried hard."

Macavity grinned and tapped her nose, "Ah, but now I know you're lying. If you're a street kit like you say you are, how do you and your sisters have collars?"

"It keeps away any nosy humans and stops us from being put into an animal shelter," she said wriggling her nose at him, "We're clever like that."

"Oh yes, very clever. Demeter, the great intellectual wonder cat," she swatted at him playfully as he got up and started to stretch.

"I need to get back to duty," he murmured, "The yard isn't going to protect itself."

Her ears flattened in disappointment but she forced a smile as he ruffled her head fur, "See you around, Dem."

When he was gone, she rolled on to her back and looked up at the sky. She'd made herself a home here but she missed her Mother, she wasn't like Bombalurina, she didn't feel bitter and she couldn't forget her. She still felt abandoned and while Grizabella was a great substitute Mother, she couldn't fill the void that had been created when Bombalurina told her that their Mother had left in the night. She imagined her now, their Mother was a gorgeous calico queen and none of her daughters resembled her very much apart from the white stomach and unruly head fur that annoyed Demeter to no end. She tried to remember her smell, the sound of her voice, her smile. Demeter got so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realise her sister stood abover her, Bombalurina had to give her a slight nudge to take her away from them.

Demeter blinked up at the scarlet queen and smiled uncertainly, her sister didn't look very happy, her hands were placed on her hips and her tail swished back and forth dangerously.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Demeter attempted.

"You realise that you haven't visited Jemima once since we've been here," Bombalurina said, not buying into Demeter's small talk.

Demeter sighed and sat up on her elbows. She felt awful for it but every time she looked at Jemima, she couldn't help but think it was her fault that their Mother left. Demeter had no inkling that their Mother had been unhappy until the youngest sister was born. Jemima was a tiny thing from birth and the only kitten that her Mother had conceived during her short time with whatever strange tom she was with, their Mother hadn't wanted another kitten, she was looking forward to her daughters growing up so she could get her freedom back again and Jemima hindered her plans considerably. Demeter remembered her Mother crying when she realised she was probably pregnant, she cried for what seemed like days. Then, when Jemima was born it was like she was better again, she smiled at the little kit in her arms and excitedly told Demeter and Bombalurina that they'd be great sisters. And then she was gone.

"Dem, she'll forget who you are if you don't go by soon, she's just a kit," Bombalurina chastised the smaller queen, her blue eyes narrowed with disdain as Demeter shrugged and refused to look at her sister.

"Do you even care?" she whispered, "She's your sister."

Demeter rolled her eyes and sighed before straightening up so she make eye contact with her, "Of course I care. Look, I love Jemima, I really do but I can't look at her without being reminded that Mum's gone. Plus, Rumpleteazer told me that she's perfectly happy with Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks so I don't understand why she needs either of us mothering her any more."

Bombalurina held her stare with her sister for a while before sighing and holding her hands in the air in defeat, "Fine. You do whatever, but don't come crying to me when she wants nothing to do with you because you couldn't be bothered to put the effort in when she was a kit."

"That's hardly fair," Demeter mumbled as she felt her chest tighten.

"It's not fair that your blaming that woman leaving on little Jemima. She would have left either way," Bombalurina said, unusually cold. Demeter was used to Bombalurina agreeing with her on basically everything so to say that she was taken aback by her sister's glacier-like attitude was an understatement. Demeter stared at her in disbelief, she was hurt that her sister was treating her like a spoilt kitten and chastising her in the same voice she addressed Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in if they were being pains. She held the stare until Bombalurina sighed and sunk down to her sister's level. The scarlet queen rubbed her shoulder gently and allowed Demeter to burrow her head into the nape of her neck.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just... Well you know, I'm just stressed out and it's hard having you two so distant all the time." Demeter nodded and reciprocated Bombalurina's nuzzles, she swallowed and thought about how sweet her sister had been to her when their Mother wasn't there, how Bombalurina was made to take on the motherly role and watch over not just Demeter but practically a newborn kit.  
"I know, I know," she paused before standing and sighing, "Well, no time like the present. I'll come with you to see her."

Bombalurina blinked up at her, "Dem, you don't have to."

"I want to, honestly. It's pretty diabolical that I haven't seen my own sister for over a year."

The scarlet queen stood slowly and looked her sister up and down before smiling one of those heart breaking genuine smiles that hit her eyes and lit up her face. They walked together, Bombalurina giving a small skip now and then and Demeter giggling at her as she did, and then reached Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks' den. Demeter's breath caught in her throat and suddenly she wasn't so giggly or confident, what if Jemima really didn't recognise her? What if she didn't get along with her youngest sister?

Jennyanydots was sat alone when they walked in, she smiled expectantly at Bombalurina and almost did a double-take when she saw Demeter.

"Oh! Oh hello dears, Jemima's with Skimble in the next room, I'll call her now if you'd like?" Bombalurina nodded eagerly, ignoring the blonde queen who visibly tensed with nerves as her younger sister's name was mentioned. Jennyanydots bustled into the next room and Demeter let out a shaky sigh, Bombalurina gave her a small smile before whispering words of encouragement.

Jennyanydots returned with Skimble following closely behind and a bundle of spiky red head fur and dimpled smiles launched at Bombalurina.

"Nice to see you too, sweetheart," the red queen chuckled before lifting the kitten into the air and swinging her around so she could balance her on her hip.

"You've come to visit me twice today," the little kit announced with a bright smile and pride swelling in her sweet voice.

"I've bought another visitor with me too," Bombalurina said before turning so Demeter could get a better look at the girl balanced on her hip, "It's Demeter, you know Demeter?"

Jemima blinked at the blonde queen and Demeter's worst fear was confirmed. There was no recognition her younger sister's sweet chocolate eyes. At least it was mutual, the kit blinking back at her didn't resemble anything she thought to be Jemima, she was well-fed, her fur was vibrant and shone as light rebounded off every hair and her smile was honestly dazzling and conveyed everything that was right about a kitten's innocence. She remembered Jemima as a fragile, frail thing that cried at everything and she was pleasantly surprised. The kit continued to peer at her and then turned to Bombalurina shyly.

"She's my sister too?" she asked with a little smile. Bombalurina nodded uncertainly and Demeter saw her waver, Jemima didn't remember her other sister and Demeter only had herself to blame. When they expected the kit to jump down from Bombalurina's hip and run behind Skimble's legs for protection from the stranger, Jemima instead turned and flashed a smile, holding her arms out for Demeter to take her. Demeter blinked up at the scarlet queen, not sure what to do, but Bombalurina flashed her an excited smile and turned completely so her sister had better access to Jemima. So Demeter scooped her in her arms awkwardly and Jemima automatically shifted herself on the queen's hip so she was mirroring the position she'd taken when Bombalurina held her.

"Why haven't you visited me?" the kit asked, her voice wasn't malicious or accusing but merely curious, her lips turned down into a little frown, "Did I do something wrong?"

Demeter felt her throat clog up and her eyes water as guilt washed over her and soaked her in shame from the tip of her ears to her toes. She suddenly couldn't understand how she'd even considered Jemima as being capable of pushing anyone away, she was gentle and kind and fitted so perfectly on her hip and in her arms. Her ears flattened and she shook her head,

"No... No, I was just being silly, you didn't do anything wrong," Jemima continued to stare at Demeter's face, her smile was gone now and her stare was incisive but she wasn't looking at her angrily and she didn't even show an inkling of being upset any more. She slowly nuzzled the older girl's face.

"I'm sure you weren't being silly," she whispered gently, "I'm glad you're here now, Bomba doesn't stop talking about you. I like your yellow fur."

"And I like your lovely red fur," Demeter said, turning to smile a little at Bombalurina who watched her sisters with pride.

Jennyanydots watched uneasily, she had no issue with the girls bonding with their little sister, she wanted Jemima to have a good relationship with them and entirely supported their eagerness to be involved with her but she worried that when Jemima was a little older they'd want her to move in with them and Grizabella. She had no problems with the glamour cat but she loved Jemima like she was her own kitten, Skimbleshanks was an excellent father to her and her biological kittens saw her as a new addition to the family, especially Electra who loved not being the baby any more.

Skimbleshanks watched his mate closely and stroked her back in a comforting manner, Jemima had been a very popular topic of discussion since she'd come home with them when she arrived at the junkyard. He assured her over and over again that if she were to leave and live with Grizabella and her sisters then they'd still play a very present part in her life, he too had become entranced by the sweet kit but he felt the same fatherly protection for Bombalurina and Demeter and knew that if Jemima wanted to live with them then he'd have no part in stopping her.

"Daddy," came the kitten's voice, snapping Skimbleshanks away from his thoughts.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Can I go outside with Bombalurina and Demeter? They said they'd show me the other kittens. Please?"

Demeter hushed her younger sister and smiled apologetically at Skimbleshanks who went rigid at the proposal, he had no issue with Electra going out with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer because they seemed so solid and so much older which was silly considering that Jemima was only a few months or so younger than Electra. She was far from malnourished now and incredibly healthy, but she still seemed so small and he worried about one of the more boisterous kittens hurting her accidentally while playing maybe a little too roughly for her petite stature. He looked at Jennyanydots for help but she had a firm and determined smile on her face,

"Not today, lovely, but tomorrow perhaps?" she said, taking the tabby beside her by surprise, "If Bombalurina and Demeter don't mind, of course?"

Bombalurina beamed, "Of course not, we'd love to."

Jemima gave a squeal and dove for Bombalurina, almost hitting Demeter clumsily in the process. Skimbleshanks blinked down at his mate who seemed completely at ease as she laughed and apologised to Demeter for the kitten's lack of spatial awareness. If uptight Jennyanydots could see the tiny queen brave the outside world, then he supposed he'd be able to deal with it too.

They stayed for about half an hour, Demeter playing with Jemima and making her squeal with giggles as she picked her up and flung her around the air, she figured that her younger sister was probably too little to tackle so whirling her around worked as a satisfactory substitute. Then, Grizabella poked her head through and said rather sternly that it was time for Bombalurina and Demeter to be coming home. Her voice was uncharacteristically hard and she was frowning, she barely acknowledged the other adult cats and focused entirely on frog-marching the two adolescent queens home.

When they got home, Demeter immediately pounced on Macavity who had just come off duty and he swirled her around, maybe a bit too enthusiastically because her foot clipped Munkustrap who gave an indignant grunt but seemed more amused by it than anything. However, it sparked off an already kindled annoyance in Grizabella who snapped.

"For God's sake you two, can't you be more careful?" Macavity placed Demeter on the ground gently and they watched as the glamour cat stared at them, irritation etched into every lovely feature of her face. The blonde ducked her head and stared at the ground, not wanting to look her adopted Mother in the eye when she was annoyed and Macavity had his eyebrows raised, partly in surprise and partly in mirrored annoyance.

Munkustrap approached his Mother cautiously, his brow furrowed in concern as he went to stroke her cheek, "They didn't hurt me, Mum, it was just an accident."

"That's not the point," she said dodging her son's paw, "Demeter, your first ball is in nearly two weeks and in a year you and your sister will be doing the coming of age ceremony and becoming queens. Can't you just act your age? And Mac, you shouldn't be encouraging her."

Bombalurina looked over warily at her sister who's shoulders had begun to shake with repressed sobs as tears started to overflow her eyes and catch on her eyelashes as she tried to cry quietly. Macavity put his arm around her and looked over at his Mother before rolling his eyes.

"Nice one," he mumbled to her. Grizabella watched for a second or two and her eyes started to dart back and forth as she peered at all of her children. Munkustrap sighed and was looking at the floor with his tail beneath his legs, Rum Tum Tugger had made his over to Bombalurina and had his hands on her shoulders to stop her from walking over to her adopted Mother and Bombalurina was staring at her with confusion and hurt evident in her face. For all of Demeter's tomboy ways, she was incredibly sensitive and hated thinking that people were angry at her, Bombalurina considered it as a side effect of their biological Mother's frequent mood swings. Grizabella's harsh tone and disapproving eyes were enough to turn the confident and raucous adolescent into a weeping kitten again. Grizabella held her stare with Bombalurina before tears started to cloud her own eyes.

It wasn't like the glamour cat to get angry at them, she was generally pretty laid back and gentle, she'd never yelled at them before, or at least not when Bombalurina or Demeter were around. Grizabella sighed and blinked, a tear escaping from her eye as she turned to Demeter who now had Munkustrap and Macavity flanking her. She watched as the blonde regained her composure and looked up at Grizabella, her ears still flat against her head.

"I'm sorry, Mum," she muttered with this awful wounded expression on her face. That was what made Grizabella's heart sink, she shook her head and motioned for Demeter to come up to her, the smallest of her children walked over slowly and blinked up at her, tear streaks still prominent on her tender face. Grizabella wound her arms around her waist and pulled her close, Demeter flung her arms around her neck and buried her head into her fur.

"No need to be sorry, I overreacted and I'm sorry," she patted her back gently, "You hold onto your youth while you can, sweetheart. I was wrong, I'm sorry. Heavyside, I'm so sorry."

That was the night when Bombalurina realised that Grizabella was not so well put together as everyone thought. She was a queen that had been married to an important tom at too young of an age to understand the extent of her commitment, looked after three boys that were born to be great, upstanding members of the tribe and all the while had everyone watching her and judging her to make sure she was doing everything right. But even after she'd shown part of her less perfect side, she still made sure she was warm to her adopted daughters and that was what mattered. Despite having just snapped, she made sure that Demeter knew that she still loved her, that she hadn't meant to be mean. It just told Bombalurina that Grizabella was dependable and in spite of her initial shock Bombalurina felt her affection grow for the glamour cat that night.

**((A/N: I didn't do one of these in the first chapter, oops? I hope you enjoyed it, I really wanted to build on the relationship that the sisters have with the other cats in the junkyard so not a lot really happened in this chapter, I promise it'll pick up pace really soon though! If you picked up on anything in either of these chapters then constructive criticism is always enouraged c: ))**


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Sunflowers**

Bombalurina's first ball was everything she wanted it to be and everything she wished it wasn't.

She sang in the opening song that they'd been practicing for months, talked about the names of cats even though she had no idea what was so important about names and watched Cassandra's sister Exotica dance the invitation to the ball to announce the official beginning of this year's Jellicle ball.

Macavity took the lead when it came to announcing every song and endured every cat peering at him and judging whether or not he was doing his job well, as the Leader's son and new Protector of the Jellicles he had to face a lot of animosity from the other cats who were constantly weighing up his value as a Protector. His brothers had the same treatment but they handled it remarkably well and deemed it insignificant next to the overwhelming support the Jellicles provided, Macavity didn't take it as well and Bombalurina watched as he became louder and more desperate to please when more people stared at him.

When the ginger tom announced his Mother, however, his smile hit his eyes as she brushed up against him and took the centre of the junkyard. Bombalurina's face lit up with pride and Demeter squirmed next to her with excitement as Grizabella lifted her head to recount how she haunted Tottenham Court before becoming the Jellicle Leader's most recent wife and took her place as the second most important cat in the Jellicle Tribe. The glamour cat had never looked so beautiful, donning sequinned material and dance shoes, her eyes sparkled under the stars and she had the most serene smile on her face.

When she'd finished her song, a hush came over the crowd as the teenage mystic twins, Coricopat and Tantomile, flanked her and pointed to the entrance of the junkyard. Grizabella's smile widened as she turned to the rest of the tribe,

"I believe it is Old Deuteronomy," she sang sweetly and the other cats swarmed her as she sang about their leader.

Bombalurina stood at the edge of the crowd and watched as Demeter held Grizabella's hand as she excitedly tried to peer over the heads of other cats to get the first look at the infamous leader, Munkustrap and Tugger had ran off with the twins to fetch him. She'd not met the leader yet as he mainly stayed outside of the junkyard nowadays, not having the energy to keep up with the younger and more energetic cats but after this ball he would be staying a week or two with Grizabella in the den she shared with their children. The scarlet queen didn't know how she felt about the faceless leader, when she asked people about him they spoke with such grandeur that she found it difficult to believe them, he seemed like a fairytale and she was always wary of fairytales because they so rarely mingled with reality.

She felt an arm wind around her and she looked up into the face of the ginger Protector, he had his eyes firmly on the crowd and his face was distorted with stern indifference. She smiled up at him and nuzzled into his greeting, Macavity was sweet to her and kind to Demeter, he'd even gone out of the way to give Jemima a tour of the junkyard when she was finally allowed out by Jennyanydots. He was a good tom in every way, shape and form.

"Are you excited to see your Dad?" she whispered, not wanting to distract from Grizabella's song.

"I hope he thinks I'm doing well," Macavity murmured, ducking his head as he did, "This is my first year acting as Protector, I just hope I'm doing it right."

"Oh shush," she said, batting him slightly with her paw, "You're doing brilliantly and you know it, okay?"

Macavity smiled and rubbed his cheek against her, he lingered for a moment before straightening up as Old Deuteronomy entered the junkyard. Bombalurina gave him a knowing smile and moved away from him to stand by her sister as the leader approached Macavity with his arms open and a smile on his cheery, but undoubtedly aged, face.

Demeter held onto her sister and whispered excitedly, "He's great, isn't he?"

Old Deuteronomy was great, Bombalurina hadn't spoken to him yet but she instantly knew why everyone respected him so much. He had this aura about him that made everything warm, she felt at ease as he sat in pride of place on the tyre and beckoned Demeter and Bombalurina to sit by him as Macavity introduced the next act. His smile met his eyes, he smelled like tobacco and peppermint and his greying fur was soft. Demeter immediately put an arm around his midriff in a half-hug and burrowed her head into his fur, Bombalurina was more hesitant but soon found herself curling into the old cat and watching as the other's sang and danced. They'd been practising a performance for Old Deuteronomy for over a year now but Bombalurina and Demeter sat out of the performance because of their inexperience when it came to performing with the other cats.

When it was finished and the tribe took their bows, Grizabella walked over to her husband and helped him stand so he could address his tribe.

"Jellicle cats come out tonight," he said brightly and turned, motioning for Demeter and Bombalurina to stand by him. The tribe threw their hands into the air and started to cheer excitedly as their leader recited a verse to start their main dance segment.

Demeter had been told that they'd dance for nearly twenty minutes straight and at first she'd been worried, but as she danced amongst her fellow Jellicles she felt all past anxieties melt away as she kicked her legs and was lifted into the air by strong toms. Finally, when the music started to get softer she felt her heart flutter in her chest as she lay around the outskirts of the clearing and watched as Exotica took the main stage with Admetus.

She'd been informed, more like warned, about the mating dance. She'd imagined horrifically embarrassing situations about this part of the ball and she really didn't want to watch. However, as Exotica was lifted into the air by Admetus' strong arms she wondered what she'd been worried of all along. The dance was sensual, but not overly adult and all it really did was signify Exotica's transition into womanhood. Demeter smiled at the couples of cats that lay with each other with adoring smiles on their faces.

Soon, a pair of lips brushed against her ear and she looked up into the face of Macavity. Her face flushed, she'd been infatuated with the ginger tom since she came to the tribe and now he was looking at her so tenderly as one of his hands circled her waist and he tried to gently move her closer to the centre of the clearing as Exotica gently placed down by Admetus. She looked over quickly to Bombalurina who was being teasingly pursued by Tugger as he put his hands on her hips and tried to pull her down to lay with him, to which she cheekily poked her tongue out but complied whole-heartedly. Content that her sister was doing exactly the same as the rest of the cats, she lay next to Macavity and wrapped a stray leg around his waist so they could be closer.

Demeter lay there, taking in the scent of the cats around her and feeling the tom's heartbeat so close to her own. It only seemed like a few mere seconds before they were up and dancing again. Her cheeks still felt hot and she glanced over to Macavity every so often, as if to check that he was still definitely real. During the last number Macavity explained to everyone that one cat would be sent to the Heavyside layer, Munkustrap sidled up to her and rubbed his shoulder against hers. The gesture was a common one but Demeter couldn't help but feel like Munkustrap seemed burdened by it, she blinked at him and offered a smile but his ears were flat and his own smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I hate this bit," he mumbled.

Demeter blinked in surprise. The 'choice' was the whole purpose of the ball and the rest of the cats all said that it was a huge honour to be chosen. Munkustrap was so 'by the books', she hadn't expected him of all cats to question the way the tribe worked but she noted how his shoulders sagged and his tail fell as he crouched a little away from the rest of the cats who were crowded around Old Deuteronomy who was sat with Grizabella by his side, her hand firmly on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she whispered back, moving closer in an attempt to comfort the upset tom.

"You'll see, I can tell who they're going to pick and it's just... It's going to be horrible."

Grizabella moved closer to her husband and whispered into his ear, he pulled back to look at her for a moment before nodding and turning to the rest of the Jellicles who anxiously waited for his decision.

"Eileen," he spoke with great clarity.

A frail queen only a few years older than Jellyorum and Jennyanydots and younger than Grizabella stood slowly. She was a dilute brown tabby and at one point had probably been very pretty but she'd quickly grown weary, she was well-known as a sickly queen who had been very weak ever since she was a kitten. Her mate had ascended to Heavyside two years previously after receiving fatal wounds from a Pollicle whilst she was pregnant for the third time. She was born into the tribe, the Mother of four toms, Admetus, Plato and more recently Pouncival and Tumblebrutus. She'd lived a good life and was truly ready to move on.

Admetus stood and clung to her arm, his mouth adjacent and ready to argue but he was cut short by Eileen who combed through his head fur gently as tears fell down her cheeks. She took a deep breath before turning to the leader and his wife.

"Thank you for letting me see my oldest son reach adulthood," she said in her rasp of a voice, "And please make sure the rest of my children grow into the fine toms I know they are."

Demeter felt Munkustrap stiffen and glance over to an alcove where the kittens who were too young to attend the ball would be watching, it was the only part they were allowed to see and was only meant so that they'd be prepared for the ritual when it was their turn to take part. All kittens were asked to watch, which meant that the rest of Eileen's sons could see what was going on. So could her little sister.

Demeter's eyes widened in realisation as Pouncival, the youngest of Eileen's sons ran out screaming, only to be held back by Jellyorum who dashed to meet him before he reached his Mother and made her parting even worse. He was soon followed by Plato who managed to dodge adult arms and had to be pried away from his Mother by his oldest brother who was trying desperately to reason with him. Tumblebrutus walked timidly to Pouncival who was now thrashing against Jellyorum's mate Asparagus Junior who had stepped in when the queen couldn't restrain the sobbing kitten, Tumblebrutus allowed Jellyorum to put her arms around him and cried into the queen's fur.

"No! Mum stays! Leave her alone! No!" Pouncival screamed, making the rest of the kittens who were meant to stay in the shadows and away from the ball poke their heads out and run to their parents for consolation. Victoria held onto Jemima who's eyes were wide with confusion and panic as Old Deuteronomy quickly tried to regain control over the rest of the tribe. Grizabella began singing the song to mark Eileen's ascend to Heavyside and her imminent rebirth and the other cats joined in. All except the kittens that were not meant to be there. Pouncival's screams could be heard over the singing and they only got louder when Eileen turned back and called,

"Mummy loves you, darling!"

Old Deuteronomy had one last song left to sing but quickly decided against it, he nodded sombrely to Macavity who quickly announced the end of that year's Jellicle Ball. The leader sat on the tyre and rested his head in one of his hands as Rum Tum Tugger and Macavity sat next to him, reassuring him that he'd made the right choice.

Jemima started to cry as Pouncival was carried away from the clearing with Tumblebrutus following and Plato clung to Admetus and buried his face in his older brother's chest. Demeter wanted to go over, to comfort her little sister but felt too shocked to move. Bombalurina had Grizabella sat next to her, an arm around her shoulder as she tried to explain why Eileen had to go when her sons were still here.

The blonde queen felt a loss of warmth as Munkustrap dashed over to Jemima and Victoria, Jemima had taken a shining to the silver tabby and had clung to him like a comfort blanket on her first day in the junkyard so she immediately held her arms out for him with her head tilted back and her shoulders jerking with each sob. The white kit was trying to cradle the little queen but Victoria wasn't that much bigger than her so when Munkustrap scooped the little calico kitten into his arms she smiled gratefully at him and allowed herself to be tugged away by her brother. Demeter watched him rock her youngest sister back and forth, contemplating whether or not to go over. He looked up at Demeter for a fraction of a second to smile reassuringly and Demeter suddenly felt herself come back to life. She ran over to Bombalurina and Grizabella and allowed herself to be enveloped by their hugs and soft words.

"A Mother needs to know when she's done all she can for her children," Grizabella soothed, "Eileen hasn't been well for a while and she's felt awful since her mate died. Admetus is a tom now and Plato, Tumble and Pounce will be well looked after by the rest of the tribe. It was meant to be."

Demeter felt tears spring to her eyes as Bombalurina mumbled, "A Mother should stay with her kittens."

Grizabella tutted and pulled her adopted daughters into a tight embrace, "My girls, this Mother won't be going anywhere any time soon."

Demeter buried her head into the embrace but Bombalurina kept her eyes fixed wholly on Munkustrap and Jemima, she was slumped now and he had stopped speaking but he still rocked her back and forth gently. Skimbleshanks approached them and held his arms out so the silver tabby could pass the now sleeping kit to him. She felt a small comfort in that at least it was the first loss of a Mother that Jemima had witnessed since she was far too young to remember their own Mother's departure. However, she still wished that the kit never saw it and prayed she'd never see it again as Pouncival's screams, Tumblebrutus' muffled cries, Plato's wavering arguments and Admetus' false bravery played over and over in her head.

**((A/N: Ahh! I took a while to update this, sorry! I hoped you like it, it's kind of hard to write a chapter based entirely in the Jellicle ball ^^')) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Sunflowers**

The magician looked over to the queen-kit beside him and frowned. She was far too young and gentle to be so worried, her eyes moved quickly and watched the tribe with concern as her brow furrowed and her lip puckered. She looked at her oldest sister and watched as she spoke somberly with Cassandra, she found her other sister who sat with the leader's sons and listened to them speak with feigned interest, she looked over at her best friend, who was sat with Plato as usual, and her eyes welled up with tears. Jemima had become close friends with the tuxedo cat next to her and his porcelain sister but as of late Victoria had been preoccupied with Plato who was finding it hard coming to grips with being an orphan.

Jemima had understood, of course Victoria would want to make sure Plato was okay, but she didn't like the way Plato acted around her any more. She'd never been close with Plato because he preferred to hang around with older cats but when they did talk he was polite and kind of smiley. He smiled at her now but not in the way he used to, he acted like Jemima made him uncomfortable, like she had some kind of disease that he was afraid of catching. So whenever Victoria went to play with Plato, she apologised to Jemima and said perhaps it was best if she 'went alone.'

Quaxo sighed and rubbed his shoulder against hers, a notion that went appreciated by the younger queen kit who smiled at him and rubbed her eyes to dispel the tears that clouded them. The tom looked at her, silently arousing an explanation for her sadness, and finally she sighed and whispered,

"I think I've upset Plato."

"What could you have done to upset Plato?" Quaxo said gently, his tone neither comforting nor accusing, just perfectly impartial.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "He doesn't like me any more."

"And this makes you cry?" Jemima blinked at the older cat, he was three years her senior and the same age as Plato but his face was so kittenish and he never spoke down to her, he made her feel comfortable.

"Partly, but mainly because Victoria won't play with me any more because Plato doesn't like me and I don't know what I've done," she suddenly felt anxious, "Do you think it's because I'm clumsy? Because I'm working on it, I really am."

Quaxo couldn't help but laugh slightly, the queen-kit wasn't clumsy in the slightest but because she hung around with Victoria a lot who was the walking definition of poise and because she had the clever acrobatics of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer bombarding her at home, she had somehow become disillusioned and deemed herself as clumsy. He ruffled her head fur, ignoring her panic-stricken stare and laughed a little more.

"You're not clumsy, Jem, and I'm sure Plato does like you."

"Why wouldn't he?" The two young cats jumped at the new voice as Demeter stood over them, her tail twitching with irritation, "What could Jemima have possibly done to him?"

Jemima ducked her head in embarrassment as her sister grabbed the attention of most of the tribe, including Plato and Victoria, with her loud voice and proud stance. Plato looked down too, Victoria had her arm around him and looked up at Demeter with uncertainty. They hadn't seen her make her way over but Demeter had been watching her little sister for quite some time and had been growing increasingly angry at how sad she looked.

Ever since the Jellicle Ball, some of the kittens had started to distance themselves from anyone associated with the glamour cat, it wasn't an outright gesture or even blatantly obvious but Demeter and Bombalurina had both noticed the weary looks from Victoria and the glares from Pouncival. It was because they believed, in their kitten minds, that Grizabella had full responsibility for Eileen's passing. Munkustrap and Tugger had been the exceptions to the kittens' anger because the two were so inherently warm so it was very hard to be upset with them, even Tugger who's new favourite game was to 'jump attack' passers by. However, Macavtiy, Bombalurina and Demeter were looked on as though they were consorting with the enemy and had therefore inherited some resentment, the main source of said resentment was Pouncival and Tumblebrutus who were too young to comprehend the concept of the 'Jellicle Choice' and saw it all as an unfair excuse to take their Mother away from them.

Demeter could deal with them acting weirdly around her or Bombalurina, she knew it was just a way for them to mourn their Mother and get over their loss but she couldn't stand it when Jemima was brought into it. Jemima barely knew Grizabella, she was as in the dark as the rest of them when it came to how the Choice worked, she was just confused as to why some of her friends didn't want to speak to her much any more.

Munkustrap made his way over to Demeter, that damn reasonable expression clouding his face and his tail between his legs. She flinched away from him when he tried to put a calming hand on her shoulder and continued to stare at Plato, silently willing the young tom to retaliate. Plato's eyes clouded over and he kept his head down, not willing to take part in a verbal slinging match with the older queen. Just as Demeter was going to nod and walk away, satisfied that she'd made her point, Pouncival stood in front of her and hissed in a pathetic manner.

"Leave Plato alone," his little voice indignant, "Leave him alone or I'll get you."

Demeter went to retort but felt herself being ushered away by Bombalurina who'd slinked over with Cassandra at her side some time during Demeter's staring competition. She found herself feeling slightly thankful for her sister's interference, she didn't really want to have an argument with a kitten but couldn't help but being riled up by the way he spoke to her or by the way they treated her little sister. The blonde queen sighed and followed the Abyssinian and her sister, leaving Munkustrap with the kittens.

Pouncival let out another little hiss at Demeter's retreating form before looking down at the queen kit who'd been watching with wide eyes and a trembling lip, if she hadn't been such a baby then Demeter would never have gotten involved and upset his older brother, he hissed at her too and her little face crumpled. He accepted the swat from Munkustrap and ran over to Jellyorum who was already chastising him from the other side of the yard.

Munkustrap sighed and sunk to his knees to get a good look at the kittens, Jemima was lead on her stomach now with her head cradled in her arms and little sobs jolting her body every now and then, Quaxo stared at her in horror as though she might explode any second. The silver tabby craned his head and scanned the junkyard quickly to find Macavity, it was his job to look after the kittens after all. He gave up quickly and motioned for Quaxo to scamper off, which the small tom did willingly, before sitting next to the crying queen kit.

Macavity was too busy consoling Demeter for she was angrier than she'd ever been. He'd convinced her to come back to his den so she could have some time away from everyone to cool off. She was pacing now, her tail swishing as she walked and her arms waving madly. Everlasting, she was beautiful. Her lovely face was contorted with her anger, her green eyes narrowed and her lips moving at a mile a minute, he'd barely heard what she'd been saying because he was so intent on watching her. She stopped dead in her tracks before sighing and looking over to the ginger tom, her cheeks flushed slightly,

"Sorry Mac, I didn't mean to rant at you. It just, it makes me so angry, you know?" he smiled, nodding as he rose to meet her.

"I understand," he said, noticing her smile as he walked over to her, "But they're so young, they don't know any better."

"And Jemima's even _younger_," she insisted. He was close now, so close that if she craned her neck she could see every feature of his exotically beautiful face, she feebly punched his chest and sighed, "Help me, Mr. Protector."

He chuckled and his chest raised, it was so pretty, she kept her hand there for a while before realising what she was doing and whipping it back down to her side making him laugh again.

"Help yourself, you're certainly capable enough, my little brothers have the battle scars to prove it."

"Yeah well, your little brothers are whimps."

One of said little brothers now was laid down in the dirt and trying to convince the crying kitten to 'give him a smile.' Bombalurina watched him tentatively, resisting the urge to barge over and steal her sister away but Cassandra had already stopped her.

"She needs to become more socialised, Heaviside knows that she missed out on that when Jenny kept her cooped up like a little Rapunzel," she had said, and it was true, Jemima was still shy and uncertain of some of the cats and if anyone was going to get her to stop crying, it would be Munkustrap whom she had taken quite a shine to.

So she sat and watched, with Cassandra on her left, Tugger on her right and Exotica sprawled horizontal to them. They were chattering without any real direction of conversation, it only acted as background noise to distract Bombalurina for her impending concern about her two sisters. Demeter had run off with Macavity which would have been fine by her if they didn't go into his den where she couldn't keep an eye on them and Jemima still had her face in the dirt with Munkustrap desperately trying to rouse her from her moping.

"Bombalurina, she's not going to spontaneously combust," she blinked at the Maine Coon beside her before registering the words and smiling a little, she was being silly and she knew it.

"I know it's just... I don't know, I figured everyone kind of accepted the Jellicle Choice, I didn't expect this kind of backlash," she mumbled, toying with her head fur.

"That's what usually happens," he said with a shrug, "But when kits get involved it can get a bit messy, usually Dad doesn't send anyone who has responsibilities like kittens but it was Eileen's time."

"I think it's a horrible tradition," Exotica said, she wasn't a very outspoken cat but she spoke with clarity now, her head risen slightly and her chin jutted out, "Taking a Mother away from her kits like that... _In front_ of her kits like that is unforgivable."

Cassandra started to hush her sister but it was no use, Bombalurina felt the tom beside her prickle and arch his back slightly, as one of Old Deuteronomy's sons he felt the need to defend tradition and the way Exotica was talking about it had obviously hit a nerve.

"It couldn't have been helped," Cassandra said quickly, "The kits snuck over to watch, they should have been taken better care of."

"But what about Admetus?" Exotica pried with an eyebrow raised, "Do you think it was fair he had to watch his Mother be..."

"We didn't take an axe to her, Exotica," Rum Tum Tugger said with cool vehemence lacing his words, "She could have refused if she wanted. Plus, I didn't see you whining too much about tradition when Admetus was whirling you around in the air, should we be expecting a happy announcement?"

Exotica regarded him for a while. She as the type of queen that seemed intimidating naturally, with her almost black eyes and her pursed lips. Cassandra often had the same effect on people but managed to play it off by smiling constantly and being sweet to basically everyone whereas Exotica was very straight-laced and serious, which perhaps could be seen as endearing but to a lot of people it was just scary. Rum Tum Tugger made sure he didn't shrink under her glare until finally she rolled her eyes and concluded with,

"You can't accept that this tribe and it's customs aren't as squeaky-clean and perfect that you've been brought up to think they are. Well let me tell you, I'm not witnessing another one of those damn choices, never again."

She stood, dusted herself down and walked away, leaving Cassandra to bite her lip and fiddle with her paws and Tugger to mumble,

"Just slink off."

A few feet away, Munkustrap finally had gotten Jemima to look up at him and after a few minutes of him promising her that no one was angry with her she finally stood up and brushed the dirt off her fur. Munkustrap stay knelt so he could be on her level and he smiled at the kitten's face, all streaky with tears.

"Come here," he said, brushing them off her face, "There, all gone."

She gave him a small smile before looking down at the floor again, "Pouncival doesn't like me now."

"I'm sure Pouncival does like you, Jemima," the tabby cat said gently, his voice's steadiness betraying the look of weariness on his face and his fear that she'd burst out crying again, "He's just upset at the moment and people do silly things when they're upset."

She nibbled her lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes, he almost giggled at how cartoon-like she looked until she reached out her hands as a signal for him to lift her. Munkustrap was acknowledged as the tribe's older brother, while he wasn't the Protector he had taken it upon himself to make sure he put the other Jellicles at ease and paid close attention to the kittens. When he was asked why he spent so much time with the kittens, he'd say it was because they ran the queens ragged but secretly he admired their carefree attitude and wanted to cling onto childishness for as long as possible. He lifted her with ease and she clung onto his side, she'd taken to Munkustrap because he was the calmer of Old Deuteronomy's sons and while the other two intrigued her, she felt comfortable with him.

"Why did Pouncival's Mummy have to go away?" she whispered, her ears stuck to her head as if she was ashamed of even thinking about questioning the tribe's rules.

"Sometimes when people have done everything they needed to they get very tired, and when they get tired sometimes it's just nicer to... To let them go. And Pouncival's Mum knew this and she wanted to go away, so she did."

"Did your Mummy make her go away?" she said, gaining a littl more confidence, "Because Etcetera said she did."

"No one made her go away," Munkustrap said as lump began to rise to his throat, "She just went away."


End file.
